Deadly Rivalries
by GirlNextDoor228
Summary: After Sly lies to Carmelita, their relationship collapses. When Carmelita is forced to have a new partner, jealousy and concern start to wash over Sly. What will happen? And why does Sly feel like he knows her partner from the past?CxOC SXC Set after Sly3
1. A handsome stranger

_A/N: Hey guys. I thought of giving this one another go. It's my first REAL Sly Cooper fanfiction, so don't go too harsh on me, but I'd love to hear some reviews with constructive criticism :) Please enjoy and ask me if you have any questions about this. Also, please review!_

_Summary: This is set after Sly 3. After Sly lies to Carmelita about his amnesia, their relationship falls apart. When Carmelita is forced to have a new partner, jealousy and concern start to wash over Sly. What will happen? And why does Sly feel like he knows her partner from the past? _

_Pairings: CarmelitaxOC CarmelitaXSly_

_Disclaimer: I do not own any characters in this story related to the Sly Cooper franchise, I only own Carlyle Anders, which is a fictional character created for this story._

The morning sun shined in Paris, signaling the beginning of a new day. Not being a late-sleeper, Sly Cooper was already awake at 6 am, a long while before his friends and companions Bentley and Murray. After having his breakfast, the raccoon proceeded in walking to his favorite part of their hideout: the rooftop. It had a wonderful view all over the city of Love, and it was there that he rested his thoughts whenever something was wrong or when he simply needed some peaceful harmony by himself. He took a deep breath, inhaling the morning air as he let his eyes close and his fur heat with the sunrise. Boy, had he missed this! For most people it was just an ordinary day of the week, but for the grey-furred raccoon this was the beginning of a new life. Or rather, a new beginning to his old life.

After the incident with Dr. M in Kaine Island, Sly had faked the loss of his memory in order to approach the highlighted Interpol inspector Carmelita Fox, who he had realized not so much time ago he loved. Realizing this was a one-of-a-time opportunity to get close to him, Carmelita had told the raccoon he was her Interpol partner, allowing him to begin a new life by her side.

But after some months of attempted adaptation, Sly fell into the reality of his own nature: he was a _thief_, not a cop. He couldn't deny what he was, and he couldn't trick Carmelita into thinking he was on the right side of the law. Appealing to his truthful nature (after all, he was a different thief; he wasn't dishonest) and feeling he couldn't deceive the one he loved, Sly decided to tell Carmelita the _truth_. And as he was expecting, the worst had happened.

Sighing, Sly let himself begin a_nother_ trip down memory lane…

__

Carmelita sat in front of the new top inspector and ex-master thief Sly Cooper. They were eating dinner in the fox's apartment, which they now shared since Sly's accident. Since they were both paying the rent, Carmelita figured she could let the raccoon decorate part of the apartment. Putting their hearts into it, they spent weeks pushing furniture, buying furniture, painting furniture and most of all goofing around with each other. The result? A modern-looking environment, but with a humble touch. 

_  
Not only her apartment, but her own life had changed a lot since she "tricked" Sly into being her partner in the police. She couldn't help but smile, thinking about how great things had ended up after all. But her smile faded when she looked at the raccoon. Carmelita couldn't stop noticing how cold and thoughtful the raccoon's expression had been all this evening. And all these past two days, for that matter… "Is everything okay Sly?" She asked, eying him with curiosity and hidden concern as he played with his food._

_  
Her question brought him back to reality, focusing on the answer. Would he tell her?_

"_Well…" Yes, he just needed not to tumble on his own words. _

"_There is something I need to tell you, Carm…" To the inspector, the diminutive he used was a sign of their proximity. All those years he had used it in vain, only to flirt with her. But this time they were actually close enough to be called _friends_. And she hoped, just like she had hoped in all those years that they became something more._

"_Yes, Ringtail?" Her tone and words shook his heart, as he felt like he couldn't go on with this conversation. Their intimacy was once more shown with Sly's nickname, which he had always found the sweetest. Sly shook his thoughts away and thought about what he had to tell her. He wouldn't expect her to _understand_ the reason why he lied, but he at least knew she preferred to know the truth._

"_I have lied to you, Carmelita" The fox gulped down the amount of saliva she still had, for her mouth was beginning to dry. _'I knew I couldn't trust him! Once a liar you'll always be a liar, no matter what. It's in his blood'. _Her eyes penetrated the last inch of his soul as she hopelessly expected a development of the subject. _

_  
"I faked my amnesia to get close to you. I'm aware it was a wrong thing to do but when I was about to die in the hands of Dr. M I regretted not telling you how much I loved you and…" Sly didn't finish his speech as he noticed that Carmelita had gotten up and turned around, facing the wall. "I'm sorry…" he added, eyeing his plate._

"_You're sorry?! You're sorry for playing with my feelings and making me believe a lie? You don't even know what sorry means, Cooper" Her words were as sharp as a sword, cutting through what remained of their relationship. "I thought we were friends; you seriously led me into thinking you had amnesia and I, being a fool, loving you, and wanting nothing more than to be with you, believed your fucking lies. Pack your stuff and get out of my life, Cooper!"_

_  
Sly tried arguing but when he saw her shiny and agonizing tears he looked down and did what he was told._

That was the last time Sly Cooper had seen her. Around a week later here was he, gathering courage to see what Carmelita's state was after that event. He hadn't done it before due to himself, mostly because he couldn't stand watching her suffer because of him; it shattered his heart to be the cause of her tears. His chocolate-colored eyes opened and quickly scanned through what he could view of Paris. Finding a route to the police station almost immediately, the raccoon got up graciously and ran to Carmelita's office.

* * *

A large red motorcycle parked behind the police headquarters. Carmelita Montoya Fox took off her helmet and hopped off her bike, taking her hand bag and walking to the building's door. When she entered, she passed by her colleagues, occasionally greeting the always-so-nice males and the cynical and jealous females in a fake cheerful manner. This was her frustrating routine in the office; she had to put up with the exceedingly friendly offers from men (whose intentions weren't the best) and pretend not to hear the nasty words her female co-workers said about her.

With a monotonous sigh Carmelita entered her office, closed the white door behind her and sat on her chair. In front of her was a black computer on a wooden secretary filled with papers. Carmelita opened a drawer to find Sly's file on top of the pile of papers. Eyeing the Cooper file only brought her memories: both good and bad ones, even though she was having a tendency to focus on the bad ones. As she remembered what she had been through with the cunning thief she clenched her teeth and threw away the file, not wanting to think of _him_.

Just when she was clearing her mind off of the subject by turning on her computer, she heard a knock on the door. Sighing once more, she walked to the door and opened it, revealing a short blonde lioness in front of her. Her name was Trish, and she had been with Carmelita ever since she entered the military school. Trish was the closest of a friend Carmelita had now that Cooper was _gone_, so she decided not to ignore her so much like she had always done before, given that the lioness was a bit hyperactive.

"Oh, hi Trish. Is everything okay?" The lioness had entered with a smile of pure courtesy but she began to lose it when Carmelita asked that question.

"Well, I don't know, but Chief Barkley wants to see you in his office right now" Carmelita felt like rolling her eyes at the "oh-you're-SO-in-trouble" expression that Trish was wearing, but she simply thanked her, moving through the hall until she found Chief Barkley.

"Miss Fox, I'm glad you're here. Please come in" Carmelita did as she was told, but couldn't help but notice that someone else was already in the chief's office. It was a tall grey-furred wolf that wore black pants, a grey and blue polo shirt and a sleeveless black jacket. He looked quite casual, and he wore a calm expression as he saw both of them coming inside the office. He didn't seem to be like her perverted co-workers, so she figured he either hadn't been or wouldn't be here for too long.

"I want to introduce you to your new partner: this is Carlyle Anders" Carmelita's eyes widened as she heard what Chief Barkley had said. The wolf smiled politely in her direction, but she ignored him completely and tried her best to keep her composure. "What?! I mean… my partner? What is all this about Chief?" Barkley sat in his chair eying Carmelita's incredulous face as he explained.

"As you've already heard from yesterday's news, Cooper has returned to his life of thievery. You're one of our most talented inspectors here in Interpol Miss Fox, but after him tricking you I don't think you have the competence to…" The Chief didn't finish his speech; Carmelita walked up to his desk and interrupted him.

"After all these years you don't think I have what it takes to catch Cooper? More than ever I am ready to bring that no-good and dishonest thief behind bars, and I plan on doing it _alone_" She turned around to the grey-furred wolf with a glare. In return, he gave her a helpless expression which she ignored with rage.

"Carlyle is a very good acquisition, he is one of the best inspectors I've seen and I'm pretty sure that if he teamed up with you, Miss Fox, you could get Cooper behind bars in no time". Seeing that Carmelita was about to protest in her defense, Barkley continued his speech.

"Also, I believe I'm still the one in charge here…" Getting a defeated look from the fox, Barkley smiled contently. "Great. I'm sure you two will get along pretty well. Now please Miss Fox, won't you show Mr. Anders his new office? Oh and get me some work done, will you?" As he signaled them both to get out, Carmelita didn't lose any time waiting for Carlyle. She stomped away, annoyed, moving back to her office.

As the wolf came in, she finally got to hear his voice, which she was expecting to be brusque and rough, given his fit appearance. "I know you like to work alone Miss Fox, but you see, this was a very important opportunity, I've worked hard to get here and I can't refuse any orders at this point". No, it definitely wasn't rough: it was a melodic and fresh voice, quite pleasant to hear, she assumed. After rationalizing about this fact (which made her feel like an idiot) she finally took in what he had said, and decided to answer.

"Yeah, I don't blame you on that, it wasn't your choice. I just want you to know that I'm not pleased with this situation, but it's nothing personal" With that, she faced away from him, turning towards the window, where she could've sworn she had seen a very familiar blue shape…

"_Cooper?_" She mumbled, almost whispering, but the blue figure was gone.

Using his fast stealth moves, Sly had hidden himself behind the tree from where he used to watch Carmelita's office with his binoc-u-com. He was just making sure she was okay so that he could finally get some sleep at night, since his conscience hadn't allowed him any rest since that fateful day in Kaine Island. Looking closely again, but staying hidden, Sly understood that Carmelita didn't seem depressed at all: she seemed to be her usual-self again. But Sly spotted another man in the office, so he tried hard to understand what he was doing there and who he was.

"Basically this is how it works. Of course, our primal subject is Cooper, but I have a bunch of cases to solve meanwhile" Carmelita said as she opened a drawer with at least twenty files, all organized.

"Well that's a lot of bad guys" Carlyle said with a smile "I think we should divide some work: what about you busting those and me dealing with Cooper?"

Carmelita turned her head and penetrated Carlyle's eyes with suspicion. "You just got here and you're already bossing me around? Who do you think you are _Anders_?" The way she said his name made Carlyle shiver; he was certainly not used to this type of approach, not from a woman. "I'm sorry, I just wanted to help somehow, and I happen to be very interested in the Cooper case..." He tried arguing in his favor, not wanting to cause trouble with his new partner.

"You're not more interested in putting that damned liar behind bars than me. Besides you don't have any experience with his case, it would be like me starting from the beginning; and I believe Chief Barkley wouldn't want that. Besides, we're _partners_, right?" She spat the last part with irony. He raised an eyebrow suggestively at her and she rolled her eyes as her conscience took the best of her. It wasn't his fault, and besides he hadn't disrespected her, so she didn't have the right to treat him this way.

"Okay, I'll admit this wasn't my best welcome yet. I think we should start over" Carlyle smiled with Carmelita's statement and got out of the room, only to come in again with a wave.

"Hi, I'm Carlyle, it's an honor to meet you Miss Fox" As much annoying as that situation could've been, Carmelita just laughed at her new partner. "Just call me Carmelita, and I could've sworn I had seen you before, Carlyle" She said in a joking manner, playing along.

"Oh I'm sure it's just a coincidence. I've got one of those familiar and ordinary faces, trust me, I get that a bunch of times" He answered, making the fox smile. For a man she instantly hated he had a reasonable sense of humor, but not quite like _Sly_. It seemed like the raccoon didn't leave her mind, not even when she couldn't stand the thought of him. Noticing her sudden change, Carlyle wondered if he had said anything wrong.

"Uh, did I say something I shouldn't have?" Carmelita eyed him with surprise and retorted a "no" almost instantly. Realizing this, she explained.

"I was just thinking about my last experience with a partner" Carlyle kept his glance towards the fox, even though she looked away, lost in her thoughts.

"You were pretty close to him, huh?" Said the wolf as he put his hands in his pockets absent-mindedly.

"It doesn't matter" Her simple answer made Carlyle stay out of the subject, but he felt like comforting Carmelita.

"Don't worry, I promise we'll put that rat where he belongs. I'll help you do it, even if it's the last thing I do". Carlyle's confidence was shocking and pleasant at the same time. Carmelita was  
pleased to know the wolf had confidence enough for the job, but he talked as if he hated Sly for some unknown reason. Next thing they knew, Barkley was on their tails again to do some paperwork and start tracking down the infamous thief Sly Cooper to see where he was going next. It looked like they had a tough job on their hands.

* * *

As Sly wandered through the streets back to the hideout, he couldn't help but wonder if that wolf was going to be Carmelita's new partner. Not only jealousy (which he was forbidding himself of thinking about) but also worry went through his mind.

First of all, where had he come from? He had certainly not seen him before, but his face seemed familiar, like someone he had met in a very distant past (which was probably just a bad feeling, he told himself).

Second, his fun with Carmelita's chases was completely blown away with this new partner.

Third, he still wondered if she felt, deep down, anything for him, and if his chances were also doomed by this new partner of hers. But then again, her black and white vision of the world didn't give him a head start chance, and after he lied to her he wasn't sure if he should speak to her.

Shaking those thoughts away, he remembered a more important task he had in his hands before Bentley and Murray woke up: shopping for breakfast.


	2. Le Rusé

_A/N: Hey again! First of all I would like to thank _DragonRider250_ for his kind review, and I would also like to thank my lovely boyfriend for all the support :) And to all those that may be following this story please don't be shy and review! Also if you don't like this, have any comment, idea, grammar/spelling correction or if you simply want to say something feel free too! Just no flaming!_

_Oh and by the way I've just become a BETA Reader so if you want some of my "services" please IM me :D _

_The french words you may not know are listed below along with the respective meaning.  
_

_I hope you enjoy this chapter! _

Chapter 2 - Le Rusé

"What are you doing here?" Carmelita's fiery voice echoed through the room as she entered her office.

Carlyle jumped, agitated, sending a bunch of papers flying around. He had been sleeping with his head on Carmelita's desk for a long time, it appeared.

"I uh… guess I've slept in, I'm sorry" His voice was low, denunciating his early 'nap'. Carmelita was puzzled and upset as she crossed her arms in front of the wolf, who was now scratching the back of his head in embarrassment.

This was only the second day they were working together and he had already spent the night at the office. Two thoughts bubbled in the fox's mind: either he was trying to impress the Chief or he spent the night there to gather information about her. She hoped he was only trying to get her post in Interpol, replacing her as the top inspector, and that he wasn't some kind of stalker. She'd had enough of those all these past years.

"So you're a late-worker hm? I guess you're starting to surprise me, Anders" Regaining his composure and grabbing all the papers he had sent flying earlier, Carlyle stood up.

"I'm just going to the bathroom, sorry about the inconvenience once more" He said, with a bit of shame that Carmelita shook away with her hand, signaling that it wasn't much of a problem. "And by the way, you can call me Carl"

The smile he flashed her before getting out of the office was charming and genuine, or at least that's what came across the fox's mind. The people who truthfully smiled at her in her job were few, but alas, Carlyle could only be trying to cover something. Nonetheless, she felt a certain empathy beginning to rise towards her new partner.

Casually taking a look at the papers on the desk, Carmelita found something suspicious: lying messily over her desk were the Cooper files.

'_Why would he be looking at this, is this some kind of joke?'_ She thought as she flipped the papers over and over, only to find out that _everything_ she had kept about Cooper was in there. Whatever remained of her confusion about Carlyle's sleepover was now overloaded with puzzled thoughts and questions about last night.

Hearing a noise outside the office, she hurried and put all the papers inside her drawer again, only to see it was Trish.

"Trish... Hey, how's it going?" The lioness closed the door and sat in front of Carmelita, appearing to be excited. "Oh it's all good... I heard you've got a new partner, eh?"

The sultry look that Trish wore as she pronounced those words made the fox sigh. _'Not another conversation about men… that's the last thing on my mind right now"_

"Err…yes. I wasn't very happy about it when I first heard it but he's not that bad after all, I suppose" Carmelita said with an awkward smile.

"Well I didn't ask you about it yesterday because I didn't find it _that_ important. But oh my, he slept here last night didn't he?"

Another suggestive look like these and Carmelita would certainly lose it. She wasn't quite sure about it, but the lioness was probably accusing her of having kept company to the wolf last night.

"I suppose he did, I had the same reaction when I came in this morning" The lioness looked at the inspector expecting a different answer.

"…Trish?! Come on why would you even think that I would sink so low?"

The blonde rolled her eyes, letting out a small chuckle. "Oh, you said he wasn't that_ bad_! And like he's not _attractive_… Did you take a look at those biceps? Not to mention his wonderfully shaped butt… Oh what I wouldn't give to have a partner like that to myself!" Carmelita simply ignored the dreamy lioness' statement. Even though she admitted deep down that he was a rather attractive wolf, she still felt offended that her friend would think something so… bitchy of her.

"Am I interrupting something?" The fox's ears moved in the direction of the door as she saw Carlyle coming in. She hoped with all of her strength that he hadn't listened to Trish's conversation about him.

"Well I'll leave you two alone to _work_. See you later Carm" With a wink, she left the office. Throwing a deadly glare at the lioness, Carmelita waited until she closed the door to make eye contact with the wolf. Spotting a hint of cockiness in his eyes, she braced herself for what was coming next.

"So, were you talking about me with your friend?" His curiosity caused Carmelita to raise an eyebrow innocently.

"What makes you think that?" She asked with a defensive tone

"I caught the last part of the conversation you were having. No eavesdropping, I swear" He said matter-of-factly, raising his arms defensively as he flashed his perfectly white smile at her. Feeling her defenses tumbling down, she decided to admit it.

"Well Trish was just blabbering about how good-looking you are. In fact, I think she's very interested in you" The fact that his smile was still showing made Carmelita somewhat intrigued to hear his answer – maybe he liked her too after all.

"I don't want to offend her or anything but let's say she is not my type of woman" His grayish blue eyes grinned along with his words, but they had trouble finding Carmelita's heart. Sly had taught her to build a protective shield around every type of flirting, even one that wasn't _that_ obvious.

"Yeah, assuming you already know her enough to consider her 'your type' or not. Anyways, I need to ask you something but I'll do it while we do our field work" Carlyle's eyes lit up.

"Field work? Finally, some action! What are we doing exactly?"

"Has anyone ever told you that you sound like a little kid sometimes?" The fox said with a mocking voice. Carlyle just smiled and shrugged, waiting for the answer.

"There is going to be an art exposition in Paris today, and _Le Rusé_ is supposed to be there. You know him, right? Jacques Benoît, the suspect who we believe was responsible for all the last art robberies all over Paris?"

Carlyle nodded. "We're going after him then? Wow I didn't think I would arrest someone on my second day here!" Carlyle exclaimed, excited.

"One of the artists he robbed, Beatrice Milie, has been working with the police to find out about his whereabouts, and our mission is not only to secure the exposition but also to bring that weasel behind bars if he tries to steal anything there. We can't just arrest him, we need to catch him in the act" The wolf nodded, approving, and Carmelita proceeded.

"Do you think you're ready for your first _real_ day here, Carl?" She asked, with a challenging look and expression.

Her question was more accusing than encouraging, but it brought another of Carlyle's charming smiles upon his lips.

"I'm definitely ready, partner"

* * *

"Grey Mist here, can you hear me Blizzard?" The cunning and infamous thief Sly Cooper crouched on a rooftop behind a Parisian café, holding his binoc-u-com.

"Roger Grey Mist, what is your status? Over"

The voice that answered Sly's question belonged to Bentley, the gang's brainy turtle and also the responsible for all their tactics, plans and gadgets. Easily panicked but one of the wisest persons Sly had ever seen, Bentley had suffered plenty in the last years. He had managed to save Sly's life by himself when he was caught in the Contessa's "web" after Neyla's betrayal; when they defeated her he had lost his ability to walk and was thrown in a wheelchair and then he had met Penelope. What seemed like a dream come true turned out to be a nightmare to the brainy turtle, who thought he would finally have a happy ending.

Betrayal was something he did and would not tolerate, not even from someone he loved so much. These events were still fresh in Bentley's mind, and they had forced Murray to give up on his racing career to support his best friend. Then, when Sly decided to tell Carmelita the truth, they realized their friendship was one of the most important things they had in life, and they decided to grab onto it and bring back the old Cooper Gang times. Months passed and here they were; putting in action another brilliantly thought to put an end to a villain's threat.

"I'm not too far from the building where the exposition is gonna be. By the way, I'm glad you finally let me pick a nice nickname for myself. Now I can start taking this seriously again"

"Oh, really? As seriously as the last time we used our nicknames?"

Sly paused a little while to think about it when he heard Bentley's usual tone of sarcasm.

"Well, I must've been distracted by something. Perhaps the will to recover Clockwerk's body pieces in order to put an end to his menace was keeping my mind away?" Sly stated with a proud smirk.

"Certainly Sly, but you just mistook _Blizzard _and _Wizard _again" Bentley answered matter-of-factly.

"Well I just think Blizzard suits you much better. It also starts with a B, you know" Bentley sighed exasperatedly at the thief's smirk and decided to proceed.

"I'm going to help Murray with the first part of the plan while you enter the exposition undercover and wait for _Le Rusé_ to make his move. If my investigation is correct he should try to steal a painting in the Neo-Realism area, so make sure you watch it closely. I mean it Sly, no goofing around"

"Oh come on, I'll just blend in with the rest of the art-addicted freaks, there's not much fun in that, is there?"

"Something tells me there will be more than ordinary guards there today though, so make sure you…--"

The thought of a certain Inspector made Sly forget about his friend's speech. Part of him hoped she would be there; it would be just like that ball in Calcutta, when their differences melted and for once in their lives it didn't matter where they came from or who they were, all that mattered was the moment they were spending in the company of one another.

Nonetheless, her reaction could also be awful, which was most likely to happen. Not to mention her new partner would be joining her if she were to come today, and that didn't please the raccoon; not one bit.

"Do you copy, Sly?" The turtle's nasal voice brought Sly back to reality.

"Roger, Wizard. Let's do this"

* * *

"So Carl… what is exactly the reason why you spent the night at the office?" Carmelita asked as the wolf held out the door to the exposition for her.

Her question caught him by surprise, making his eyes lower to the ground in thought as they came inside.

"Well, uh… I was just gathering some information on Cooper, since he's our big case, and I lost count of the time and fell asleep, that's all" Something about Carlyle's relation with Cooper didn't feel right; even the way he pronounced his _name_ seemed awkward to her, to say the least. He was certainly hiding something, she thought. Or her imagination could be tricking her...

"Bonjour Mademoiselle Fox. Thank you once more for securing my exposition. One cannot rest with those art thieves around here"

Carmelita had been so distracted with her thoughts that she didn't even notice a large and fancy elephant approaching her with a politely welcome smile. Trying to remember what her Chief had said about the artist's name, she decided not to leave him waiting and answered.

"Oh you're welcome Mr. Trenaud, me and my partner will make sure you will have a nice and calm exposition"

She had nothing against Carlyle, but the fact that he seemed to be lying about something made her initial antipathy towards him begin to rise. Besides, the Chief would have probably informed Trenaud about Carlyle's name, so she didn't have to say it at all.

The artist thanked her once more and disappeared into the crowd. Taking a good look around, she saw a few artists appreciating the various paintings displayed on the walls, along with common citizens as well. The room was big and white, and the walls divided three small sections of different types of art. No one seemed suspicious with a first look, but Carmelita knew that looks always deceived, and she had learned her lessons in what concerned that subject.

"So, what are we supposed to do now exactly?" His fresh voice sounded curious to the fox's ears.

"We wait, watch, and stay on guard subtly; you can go look around if you want" He figured Carmelita was trying to send him away, so he decided to answer charmingly, letting her know of his desire to be with her.

"I'm not much of an art person, you know. Besides, I want to learn from the best. I'll just stay here with you" His answer provoked a ticked-off sigh from Carmelita, who didn't feel the happiest with the mysterious wolf around.

"Alright, just try not to make my day miserable"

* * *

Meanwhile, Sly Cooper stood on the opposite side of the room, precisely in the Neo-Realism section. He was disguised with a tuxedo, a fake moustache, and his trademark Cooper cane had been replaced with a black classy walking cane, in order to gain _Le Rusé_'s disregard, so that he could watch his moves from a safe distance without being suspected. Entering in this exposition was easy, since Bentley had gotten him a false invitation supposedly from Trenaud. Nonetheless, he was trying not to attract the attention to himself, pretending to be very interested in the art.

A brown-furred weasel stood subtly in front of a painting, pretending to be taking notes. Sly thought of approaching him with a casual conversation, just for fun, since he knew who he truly was. But instead of doing so, he felt the need to go look around some more. He needed to know if _she _was there. Scanning through the crowd, he found two figures in motion, appearing to have a conversation. With a closer look, he found out Carmelita Fox and her new partner, whose name he had no idea what it was. He wanted to talk to her, but he couldn't give away his disguise; he couldn't risk blowing the whole operation. With that, Sly just watched them from a safe distance for a while. He had to stop thinking about her, and especially about her and _that incognito_ wolf.

Turning his back on them, Sly approached the weasel cunningly, in order to surprise him a bit.

"Hello sir. Are you enjoying yourself?" Benoît turned himself to the thief, looking him up discreetly. He simply looked like a common art-lover, so he felt like this was a nice opportunity to strike unnoticed.

"Euh, oui, I am indeed. I've been inspecting zis painting for a long time now; it is quite touching, non?" Sly took a good look up at what the weasel had mentioned. It was a picture of a woman, looking expressively sad at a mirror. "Beautiful. Zis is a one of a kind piece of art. It is worth so much, but so little value it. So little risk it all just to have it to zemselves" Sly felt his speech was becoming awkward, almost lunatic. He spoke with a strange passion, and also with a horrible English accent, strongly shaped by his french nationality.

"Luckily for zose, I am not one of zem"

In a matter of seconds, the weasel threw a smoke bomb on the floor, took the painting on the wall and ran off. Sly pressed the button on his ear's headset to initiate a voice call with Bentley while he proceeded in running towards the building's entrance.

"Rusé is on the run, call the police and be ready to ambush him, I'm going to your location right now, pal" He turned it off before the turtle could answer and climbed through some balconies until he reached the rooftop in front of the previous building.

Before running to Benoît's old warehouse, where he kept all the paintings he had stolen and where Bentley and Murray were right now, Sly made sure the art thief was traveling there too, and so he watched him from above._ Le Rusé_ was discreetly putting the painting on the car's trunk, which he immediately closed before entering the car.

Meanwhile, Sly spotted Carmelita and her partner again, this time in front of the exposition's building. Inspector Fox quickly found Rusé, and got ready to take off her shock pistol; but she noticed that his car was coming in their direction so they could easily make him stop, or at least she hoped so. Benoît drove quickly, expecting to pass in front of the exposition unnoticed, but he was surprised when he saw two folks in the middle of the road. They didn't get out of the way, so he was forced to pull a break harshly. Noticing who the female standing in front of him was, he smiled mischievously. Carmelita raised her shock pistol with both of her hands and menaced him with her brunette eyes.

"Get out of the car right now, Benoît" His smile only grew further, making Sly, who was on top of the roof watching the scene, begin to worry. Carlyle, who was right beside his partner, stood confidently with his newly acquired pistol in hand as well. Behind the confident attitude was a mist of concern for the villain's actions, since he did not seem the sanest in Carlyle's point of view.

"Why do you refuse to understand me? I am not going to stop just because of a mere police inspector. You are ze least of my preoccupations, Inspector Fox" With those words that left Carmelita in a mist of confusion and a last triumphant smirk, _Le Rusé_ lowered his foot on the accelerator determinedly.

In a split second, Carmelita felt her heart racing madly when she heard the car speeding up; it was _so_ close to her. _Too_ close to run away from. _Too close_ to hope that it was only her imagination deceiving her. _Too close to save herself._

She felt that maybe it was for the best. It would happen for a reason, a fair one perhaps. Closing her eyes, she let herself go; she left herself in the hands of Fate.

Suddenly, Carmelita felt a big impact on her left side, pushing her towards the other end of the road. Whatever it had been, it had projected her head against something hard. When she opened her eyes, her vision was blurry, and all she could see was a grey shadow, holding onto her. An enormous ache spread all over her body and her head was anguished, physically and mentally.

The car's engine began to fade away slowly, as well as her blurry vision as she submerged slowly in absolute dark and numbness...

_A/N: Ta-da! A little bit of suspense :) _

_Here are all the words in French (and one in italian, cause I'm just cool like that xD) by order of appearance:_

_-Rusé: Cunning_

_-Bonjour: Good afternoon/Hello_

_-Incognito: unknown_

_-Oui: Yes_

_Benoît has a terrible english accent, to understand him just switch Z with TH xD_

_PLEASE REVIEW! I'll give you a cookie :)  
_


	3. Ethics

_A/N: I Would like to apologize for the huge delay. I haven't been in much of a mood to write this, let alone publish it. Please don't kill me! If you have any question, suggestion, correction or commentary please don't be shy and review! I'll give you a chocolate-chip cookie!_

_Warning: This chapter contains minor sexual references.  
_

**Chapter 3**

"I love you"

Those three words had always tormented her. The black-and-white vision she possessed didn't allow that sort of feelings to manifest. To her, love was a vast ocean of uncertainty, and if one didn't have a strong boat, he was condemned to sink. And that unhappy ending didn't scare Carmelita Fox. It _terrified _her.

Taking a glance at her surroundings, the fox found herself on her apartment, the one she had before letting Sly move in with her.

_"Where are you?" _She tried speaking but the words didn't fill the thick air, emerging as mere thoughts inside her mind.

_"Show yourself" _She continued, hoping whoever had spoken before could listen to her.

"You already found me, Carmelita. I was lost, but you appeared to light up the bluntness of my dim life. You saved me from misery. You are everything to me, Carm" That nickname, the way this _someone_ pronounced it, it seemed almost… familiar. Close. Looking around again, Carmelita tried finding the source of the voice quickly, cogitating about the possibilities of it belonging to _him_.

_"Who is this?" _Her heart's rate was beginning to increase with a mix of adrenaline and fear. He could hear her, after all. And he could probably watch her. At this point, she just hoped it wasn't real and her mind was playing tricks on her.

"You know who I am, Carmelita. It's painful to think you've forgotten about me already, I've done so much for you… only to repay you. I could save you a million times and it wouldn't be enough to cover up for what you've done for me..." She couldn't hold on anymore. All the bottled up emotions she had been feeling took over her, materialized as tears that ran across her scared face.

"Don't be afraid of me, please… that's the last thing I want you to feel about me. I would stay away from you if that implied your happiness. In fact, that's what I did... And it's piercing my heart, Carm. I want to be with you so much…" The fox ran around the house practically in panic, desperately wanting to find the voice.

"I love you, Carmelita" It continued to excruciate her in an unexplainable way, as the words ran across her thoughts multiple times.

_"Please… stop. I can't take it anymore" _It wasn't just psychical. It was beginning to spread onto her head, onto her body; it was all over, causing a horrible anguish that Carmelita wanted to cease as quickly as possible.

Her head felt like it was about to blow up, as she went down on her knees and grabbed onto it in pain while the tears continued to travel down her face and neck. She was overwhelmed with suffering.

_"Just make it stop… Sly... help me..." _She let her body fall down on the floor, running out of strength to maintain her posture. Asthenic, vulnerable and weary, she laid with her head facing the ceiling, hoping for a response, a sign, something… anything.

Then his words came, paused and calming.

"I am, Carmelita. I am" Slowly, her body numbed. The furniture around her began fading, as the once white walls became black. Her surroundings were, like herself, dying.

"I could never let you down, you know that" She closed her eyes, letting her audition take over her other senses, bluntly listening to the voice around her. The pain was leaving her body, concentrating its intensity on her head. But that voice, that sweet, comforting voice… it was the only thing that kept her awake. She laid like this for a while, never losing the battle to her unconsciousness, listening to his soothing words. There he was, saving her… once more.

* * *

A grey-furred wolf sat on a plastic chair, eying the wall in front of him keenly. His mind trailed to the latest events, as his heartbeat continued exceedingly accelerated with worry and fear, visible through his dilated pupils.

His once awkward pose was altered when his attention was caught by a man in a white uniform that approached him, causing Carlyle to rise instantly.

"Is she okay, sir?" He asked immediately. The bear examined Carmelita's medical file before his hazel eyes made contact with the wolf. He probably wasn't part of the fox's family, because anyone could see he looked nothing like her. But his concern for her intrigued the doctor and made him wonder what his intentions towards her were. Nonetheless, he thought, it wasn't any of his business, and he couldn't interfere with his patient's personal lives.

"Her vital signs are stable, and we took care of some minor bruises we found on her back and arms. There is a bit of a complication, though. You see, when Miss Fox hit her head, she provoked some damage on her prefrontal cortex" The doctor took a brief break, waiting for a response from the worried figure in front of him. Reckoning that the wolf didn't understand what the damage implied, he proceeded carefully, trying to explain everything without any medical vocabulary the ordinary citizens didn't understand.

"That area of the brain is responsible for cognitive behavior but it also has some connections with emotions and personality, so it's natural for the patient to exhibit types of behavior that differ from her normal attitudes"

Carlyle raised his eyebrows, drawing an expression of thought as he tried absorbing all the doctor had said.

"This means she might have trouble telling what's good and bad and her preferences might also be affected, as well as some emotions. We are not sure if she is going to experience these reactions and for how long it will be, but we are positive they aren't permanent. Of course we'd need a surgery to confirm all this, so I would like someone to monitor her for a few days and tell us what her state is so that we can make a decision about surgery"

The doctor spoke calmly, analyzing the wolf's response to his statements. His eyebrows were raised and pulled together, which suggested the wolf was experiencing fear, and perhaps a little remorse.

"Thank you, doctor. I'll do everything I can to help. Can I see her?" The bear nodded and stepped away, guiding Carlyle to the fox's room.

Carmelita laid on a bed, having awakened some minutes ago. She wondered what had happened after the car tried to hit her; the only thing she was certain of was being alive. Also, she remembered having an awful dream while knocked unconscious, but she couldn't quite remember what it was about..

Picking up the sound of a movement, her head turned slowly in the direction of the doorway, finding Carlyle.

"Hey..." He said with an awkward smile "How are you doing?"

Carmelita smiled back, ignoring his awkward expression "Against all odds, I'm feeling okay. I'm just a little confused. Did they tell you when they could discharge me?" Carlyle was surprised and relieved that his partner was feeling okay. At that moment, the doctor came in to join them.

"I'm glad you're feeling good Miss Fox. You can go right now if that's your desire, but please let me know as soon as you feel any symptom and take care" With that, he left the room.

"Well, you heard it, time to get you home!" Carlyle stated with another smile, causing a surprised expression from Carmelita.

"What? There's no way I'm going home when there are criminals out there to catch" Carlyle acknowledged her statement as part of her personality: after all, everyone knew Carmelita loved her thief-chasing life more than anything in this world. And that was another good sign.

"I'm glad to see you're actually okay... I promise to let you back in the Department tomorrow, once you've recovered. But for now, Chief Barkley told me to keep an eye on you, and so did the doctor, so I'm taking you home" The wolf said, aware of her most-likely protesting reaction. The mere two days he had spent with her were enough to realize his partner had a fierce and stubborn attitude towards the rest of the people around her.

"Thank you, Carl" Carlyle was utterly stunned with that answer.

"What for?" He asked with uncertainty.

"For saving me"

* * *

_A grey wolf stood on the left side of a Parisian road. He felt stupid for not being able to react to the car's accelerator. He felt awful for not being able to take his partner out of the way. He felt miserable for not being able to save her from being hit by Le Rusé's car._

_Luckily for Carmelita, Sly's agility and dexterity had spared her life. His quick senses made him act before he could even think about it and take Carmelita out of the car's way before Carlyle could blink. Since he had been standing further away from the car, he didn't have to move much to get out of the way, but his actions had been terribly selfish, and he felt ashamed of himself._

_Sly Cooper laid on top of his all-time favorite inspector, holding onto her close. His breathing was still accelerated due to his heroic fast sprint and dive to save Carmelita's life. It had been what many called an adrenaline rush. It might've been that, but his reflexes and feelings were certainly more dominant of all his actions._

_He pulled away from Carmelita to check how she was. There was a trace of blood flowing from her head along her beautiful and senseless face, and the raccoon began to worry about her condition. Behind him stood the wolf; Sly was aware of his presence. If he hadn't been so concerned about Carmelita he would have probably taught him a lesson. _

"_You… get your filthy paws off her!" Carlyle approached the raccoon, speaking with a clearly angry tone. He clenched his teeth as he pointed his shock pistol towards him. Sly was surprised to hear the wolf speak to him, but he was even more surprised that he seemed to have recognized him somehow._

"_I just saved your partner's life; I believe you owe me at least a bit of respect before you address me in that way" Sly spoke firmly before turning his gaze to the wolf. To his own surprise, Sly's answer only caused Carlyle's expression to become more enraged, as the sweat on his face shined more than ever on his wrinkled forehead._

"_I could never show respect towards you, Cooper" Sly's eyes narrowed as Carlyle spoke._

"_Listen, I don't know who you think you are, but...—" The raccoon tried reasoning with Carlyle, but he was becoming angry himself. Carmelita's partner acted like a coward and still had the guts to menace him! However, Sly ended up being interrupted by him._

"_Hell if you looked into your victims' eyes you'd know exactly who I am Cooper. Too bad that's actually an advantage for them. I'm actually glad I found you here..." Carlyle's grip on the shock pistol increased, causing his knuckles to lose their color as he threatened the thief with his glare. Sly was cooled down despite the fact that the figure in front of him intended to kill him. He raised his hands to his shoulders' level and tried getting some answers._

"_What do you mean victims? I've never hurt anyone who didn't deserve it. I believe you're mistaken..." Carlyle exhibited an expression of contempt as he aimed his weapon perfectly at the raccoon's head. _

"_The only reason I'm not putting your sorry ass in jail right now is Carmelita. You get outta here before I lose my mind, Cooper. And believe me; I won't get any rest until you get what you deserve"_

_

* * *

_

"After all, we do have a lot in common" Carmelita's voice filled the air as she eyed the wolf with a polite smile while lying on her couch. They had spent the whole evening talking about random facts of their lives, and the Fox had learned quite a lot about Carlyle. He had grown up with his mother in Europe, until she was murdered when he was only nine years old.

The way he spoke about that night suggested he had seen everything, which made Carmelita feel really bad for her partner. But his situation wasn't very different from her own. When she was little, both her parents disappeared while she was at home, leaving her custody to her brother Brad, who was six years older than her. Before going away to military school, Carmelita was alone most of the time, since her brother couldn't care less about her.

Feeling abandoned by the world, she devoted her life to finding the culprit of her parents' disappearance and probable assassination, thus becoming a cold and reserved person. That was the real reason why she joined the police forces and became an inspector, even though she rarely admitted it. Letting her thoughts sink, the fox broke the awkward silence.

"So, would you like a drink, Carl?" Despite the amount of hours they had spent together at her apartment since they came back from the hospital, Carlyle was still feeling awkward and regretful. The idea of taking credit for something he didn't do wasn't right to him, because after all, he hadn't done anything to save her, and she still considered him her hero. She looked at him with the most grateful smile he had ever seen. Carmelita thought she owed him her life, when in reality he was nothing but a coward... Nonetheless, he still enjoyed her presence so much that he couldn't dare saying the truth and losing her trust.

"Uh, that depends on what you've got, but I'm not letting you get up, so just tell me where you've got the booze" He accentuated the last word in a funny way, which made the fox laugh and roll her eyes at Carlyle before answering.

"I have most of it kept away in the cupboard at your left down the hall. I can't say I've ever drunk any of those old bottles I keep in there" The wolf walked to the hall and picked a bottle that captivated his interest among the rest.

"I never thought you'd have vodka in here Miss Fox…" Carlyle said with a playful reprehending tone as he searched for something else among the collection of bottles.

"Oh please, I'm grown up, Carl…" Carmelita stated as she raised her body in order to see what the wolf was doing. Her answer provoked a chuckle from the male, who was now in the kitchen mixing the two things he had found, along with some other ingredients he searched in the cabinets.

"I'm sure you are, but I don't know if you're ready to try my delicious, fantastic, wonderful and just-invented…" The fox looked behind her to see her partner with a glass that contained a red liquid and a cherry on top, literally. She eyed him sarcastically, waiting for a development.

"Uh, I'm still working on a name. But I assure you it's marvelous!" He handed her the cup and waited for an approving sign after she took a sip of it.

"Wow, pretty impressive… I didn't know you had such a talent in the art of making cocktails" She said with a playful tone before taking another sip. Carlyle noticed this and quickly took the glass away from her, leaving one confused fox eyeing him with uncertainty.

"There's no way you're drinking more than that with a broken head… who knows what might happen to your brain" Interpol's top inspector rolled her eyes and sighed, unsatisfied with his sentence. Nonetheless, she knew he was right.

"And, for the lady, I brought some orange juice!" Carlyle stated with a proud smile as he gave her another glass, this one without alcohol inside. Carmelita took it, having no other option, and took several glances at her new partner. She noticed how brilliant his grayish-blue eyes were that night, how his chin and cheeks' bones stood out from the rest of his face, outlining his perfect face while he licked his lips. How his brilliant fur shined while his lips drew that charming smile she began to know. His astonishing good-looks were ludicrous, making a mere mortal die of envy. He was almost as perfect as…

"So, uh… are you getting tired?" Perfect interruption at a perfect timing. She couldn't think about _him_, not now. She couldn't let her memories emerge again, not this time. She wasn't going to fall asleep in tears tonight. Raising her body instantly, she unintentionally poured her glass' content all over the wolf and her couch, awakening from her thoughts abruptly.

"Oh gosh, I'm sorry!" The wolf was a little startled himself as the cold juice splashed his fur all of a sudden. "I'll get you a towel, Carl…"

The fox moved to the bathroom quickly, feeling overwhelmed in guilt and trying to shake away those thoughts about Carlyle and about _Sly. _She grabbed a towel and paused for a second, looking herself in the mirror. She clearly wasn't okay. Just as she was exiting the bathroom, she bumped into Carlyle, who was now shirtless. They eyed each other for a minute before the fox apologized again for being so clumsy.

"Don't worry, it happens to everyone" He flashed her another of those melting smiles, and she felt her heartbeat increase with their proximity. She was practically pressed against his strong chest, and feeling his grave voice so close to hear ear was sweetening her senses and chilling her lower back.

"Uh, here's your towel" She said almost blushing at the awkwardness created between them. Looking away, Carmelita handed him the towel, and she was surprised when she acknowledged he wasn't going to take it. She looked back at him, finding a lusty gaze towards her coming from the wolf, which made her gulp down the little amount of saliva she still had. It could have been because she felt the little space between them get smaller by the instant, because what remained of the Parisian summer temperature was still burning or because his lips were amazingly inviting all of a sudden; but the fact was, she was feeling something oddly new in the atmosphere. And she _liked_ it. That was the problem.

Carmelita tried moving away, but her body wouldn't obey her. She tried resisting the tempting breath she felt rubbing comfily against her face as the wolf erased the distance between them, brushing his lips softly against hers. An awful timing.

What began as a soft and slow kiss soon became a passionate display of affection, as they eagerly made out, wrapping their arms around each other's body. The wolf grabbed Carmelita's long legs and pushed her vigorously in a swift against the wall, kissing her neck in a soft trail downwards. Inside her mind, the inspector was divided between Reason and Emotion, battling her conscience in order to find out what to do. Part of her wanted to get involved with her handsome partner, but for some reason she wasn't fully happy with that decision… it's like someone else was preventing her from doing so…

"Carl... I don't think we should..." Her whispering voice was vulnerable, like her body, contradicting her words. The wolf realized this; however, he stopped kissing her for a moment and focused his gaze on her face.

"I'm sorry... it's just that I didn't think you were scared or in pain, so I went for the third option..." This answer puzzled Carmelita, who eyed the wolf curiously with an eyebrow raised.

"Your pupils are dilated" Now she was fully confused. "What does that have to do with anything?" She asked, thinking he was obviously fleeing from the subject.

"You only obtain that physical response from fear, pain, or…" He leaned in to whisper seductively against her ear, giving her delightful chills that traveled down her spine.

"_Sexual arousal_"

His words enlightened the inner conflict she had been having for the past few minutes, leaving a question mark on her following actions.


End file.
